


A Different Kind of Doctor

by OccasionallyCreative



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Fluff, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-29
Updated: 2013-07-29
Packaged: 2017-12-21 19:10:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/903829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OccasionallyCreative/pseuds/OccasionallyCreative
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Twelve years and four psychiatrists. Only one was a little different from the others.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Different Kind of Doctor

**Author's Note:**

> Slight AU, and inspired by this masterful post: perpetuallybemused.tumblr.com/post/47933096709/doctor-who-au-amy-and-the-doctor-talk-about-her

Amy tapped impatiently at the glass with her fingers. From below a nest of wires, The Doctor’s face peeked out, glaring at her for daring to tap at the TARDIS.

“I stole this from a museum you know!” he complained, but Amy simply rolled at her eyes and threw a withering gaze over to her husband, only to find that he was slumped in one of the flight chairs, snoring lightly. She smiled a little.

“So, Amy Pond. Twelve years, eh?”

“I thought we’d covered this Doctor.”

“Yes, but never in detail. If I recall, you bit all of your doctors?”

Amy shrugged and crawled forward a little bit so she could see him a little better. She wasn’t really in the mood for talking to a nest of wires.

“Amy?”

“Sorry. Drifted off a bit there. So yes, twelve years and four psychiatrists.”

“And you bit all of them?”

“Well, nearly all.”

“Oh.” She expected the Doctor to say more, but he didn’t. Just continued to fix things.

* * *

Amelia Pond crossed her arms and read a bright-looking poster about bullying for the fifth time. Her aunt had gone to fetch some water, so here she was, stuck alone in yet another psychiatrist’s office as the clock ticked by. Her tongue traced over her teeth. She wondered if she’d need to use them again. She didn’t want to, but it was the only way to make these stupid doctors see that she wasn’t mad and her raggedy doctor was actually real despite what they kept saying.

The door opened and a man bounded in, almost literally.

“Allons-y!” the man said happily as he drew up a chair and sat down on it, automatically spinning around for a moment or two.

“I do like spinning chairs. Must get one for myself…”

The man was wearing a brown pinstripe suit, and his hair made it look like he’d been electrocuted. Although she wouldn’t admit it, Amelia liked him already. Instead of glaring, he smiled and he actually looked like he wanted to be there.

“Who are you?” she asked.

The man grinned widely. “Doctor John Smith. And you’re Amelia Pond. They tell me you’ve got an invisible friend.”

“You mean my aunt tells you. She’s always telling people he isn’t real.”

“Who isn’t real?”

“The raggedy doctor.”

“Raggedy?! Look, I know this suit isn’t the best one around, but—”

“No, not you! This was a different doctor. I met him when his blue box crashed into my garden.”

The man quietened a little at this. Amelia wondered if she’d said too much. Yes, she had definitely said too much. The man was wearing glasses now and everything. Adults only wore glasses when they were being serious. She expected he’d tell her off for believing in childish things.

“Tell me more about this blue box.”

* * *

The Doctor was now fiddled with some sort of strange six-pronged plug, gently blowing on it and polishing it as he listened to Amy talk.

“I guess he was… nice. Perhaps a bit... springy, y’know?”

“Weird way to describe him. What was he like?”

“I just told you. Are you actually paying attention Doctor?”

“I always pay attention!” The Doctor said defensively, and he pushed the plug into its rightful place. An action that was immediately followed by a small smattering of sparks. The Doctor continued to gesture for Amy to continue as he continued fiddling with the plug.

“Anyway, he was nice. Unlike the others, he actually listened to me. He didn’t just try and foist his own opinion on me.”

“I should hope not,” the Doctor murmured under his breath.

Thankfully, Amy didn’t hear.

* * *

 

“He is too real!” Amelia pouted. “I should know! He ate fish fingers and custard!”  
The man blanched at this, pretending to gag.

“Fish fingers and custard? Fish fingers and _custard?!_ All the food in all the universes, and I eat fish fingers and custard!”

“Not you. The raggedy doctor. My raggedy doctor.”

“Oh, yes. Sorry!” the man said quickly, grinning again. But that smile was gone within a second as he processed what else she’d said. He whipped off his glasses and peered closer to her.

“You said that he was your raggedy doctor.”

“Of course I did.”

“Why? He could be anyone’s doctor.”

“Well he isn’t.”

The man frowned a little and leaned back in his chair, clearly thinking something over. What he was thinking however, remained and would continue to remain a mystery for little Amelia for a long time.

“Why?” was the only thing he said.

“Because I know he’s real. How can he be anyone’s doctor if I’m the only one who believes in him?”

The man considered this for a moment, but shrugged. His wide grin was back.

“I think you’ll find, Amelia Pond, that there are other people in this world who believe in this raggedy doctor of yours.”

“Like who?”

The man opened his mouth to speak, but pulled back at the last second. Amelia narrowed her eyes.

“Are you absolutely sure you’re a real doctor?”

“What, me? I’m as real as they come!” he said, instantly cheerful again. “No, I’m just being silly.”

His gaze strayed towards the clock on the wall, and he jumped up. It was only now that Amelia noticed that the man was wearing trainers. Strange.

“Well, seems we’ve run out of time. Seems I’m always running out of time these days…” He suddenly shook himself from his somewhat gloomy reverie and crouched in front of her. The man’s smile was still there of course, but it had dropped a little bit. It was less cheery and a little more real.

“Listen to me, Pond. You should never forget. Remembering makes you unique in the world. After all, no-one has your memories, do they?”

Amelia felt herself smile, but before she could thank the man, he'd already bounded out of the room.

* * *

Amy finished her story with a sigh and moved over to Rory, kissing him lightly on the cheek. It appeared to wake Rory, who jerked upright and almost fell out of the chair. Amy laughed a little and gave him another quick kiss before she turned her attention back to the Doctor.

“Anyway, it turned out the hospital didn’t have a John Smith on their records. So I never saw him again. But I still remembered his advice: never forget.”

The Doctor smiled, and Amy frowned. She could’ve sworn she was seeing things, but there was something in that smile; something eerily similar.

It couldn’t be.  
It wouldn’t be.  
But… maybe… perhaps…?

“I liked him a lot though,” she ventured, eyeing the Doctor. He said nothing. Instead he merely continued fiddling with another set of wires. Not even his body language gave him away.

Amy smiled and went back to her husband.

Strange. Strange that the two men in her life who had encouraged her to never stop believing and never forget were such good liars.


End file.
